Is playing more important than practicing ABC’s?

Play based activities are one of the most important ways for children to explore, make sense of the world, and develop necessary skills. Playing is also one of the most natural and innate processes that children have. Over the past several years and a major topic of concern during the Covid-19 pandemic has been ensuring that children are not only acquiring academic skills, but in the most efficient manner possible. Unfortunately, “snow days” have turned into “virtual” days and recess periods have turned into a twice a week activity. With the shifting of times, heightened anxiety about skills and the increase in technology, children may not have frequent opportunities, space, or the ability to simply play away from screens. While early and consistent academic opportunities for children are necessary, we may not realize how crucial playing is to the development and ongoing success of children at home and in preparation for school. Play, even for adults, is mistakenly looked at as simple leisure or a reward, rather than a necessity for overall well-being. Incorporating play based activities is necessary in both providing a context for pre-school aged children to master necessary skills and for them to learn ways to navigate challenges. In addition, school-aged children benefit from play in order to regulate their activity, aid in concentration, process hardships, and to build problem solving skills. Before you buy another expensive electronic reader or listen to another ABC’s YouTube clip, think about how you can incorporate individual or group play activities into your child’s schedule. Need more reasons why it is important to provide space for this exploration to occur? Playing is necessary for children to be able to….

1. Generalize symbolic play (e.g., caring for a baby, walking a stuffed animal, cooking, etc.) into their own life.

2. Increase their social skills and communication by interacting with others through a shared, unthreatening, experience and common language.

3. Increase their verbal expression and overall adaptability to other situations, perspectives, and ways of thinking.

4. Improve emotional regulation and help manage troubling negative emotions either through experience with others or through role play with symbolic items (e.g., when a block tower breaks, you can rebuild it.).

5. Help ease transitions during unexpected or new experiences.

6. Strengthen relational connections between peers, siblings, caregivers, and mentors.

7. Improve cognitive and behavioral flexibility by experiencing different perspectives from others or different outcomes with similar toys.

8. Overcome fears and comfortably explore new things.

9. Increase their sense of autonomy and ability to make decisions.

If you have concerns about your child’s behavior, development, or school readiness and/or you are curious in learning more about developmental activities, reach out to your child’s providers or Behind the Behavior Psychology today!